Alioramus remotus

Currie, Philip J., 2003, Cranial anatomy of tyrannosaurid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada, Palaeontologica Polonica 48 (2), pp. 191-226 : 221

Alioramus remotus .

— Alioramus remotus Kurzanov, 1976 is known from only a single partial skull and skeleton collected from Nogon−Tsav in Mongolia. The taxonomic status of Alioramus is uncertain because of the incompleteness and immature nature of the specimen. Kurzanov (1976) cited certain characteristics that were supposedly different than in other tyrannosaurids. These included the presence of two conspicuous rows of foramina on the outer surface of the maxilla, and the position and contacts of the laterosphenoid. However, these are characters shared with all other tyrannosaurids. The skull is low because of the small size of the specimen, and “the greatly elongated jaws” are typical for all tyrannosaurid individuals of this size. Other characters expected in any small tyrannosaurid include the smoothness of the postorbital bone and the mediolateral compression of the teeth. The position of the maxillary fenestra falls within the range of variability for tyrannosaurines like Tarbosaurus . Although it has pronounced “hornlets” on the nasal, they are comparable in position and number to lower bumps in some specimens of Daspletosaurus and Tarbosaurus . The prootic is supposed to surround the trigeminal foramen, but examination of the specimen suggests that this is probably not correct. Almost certainly the anterior border of the trigeminal is formed by the laterosphenoid in the conventional way. The shape and orientation of the basisphenoid recess is very similar to these features in Daspletosaurus , Nanotyrannus , Tarbosaurus , and Tyrannosaurus . Skull proportions suggest that PIN 3142/1 might be an immature Tarbosaurus , although generic distinction is suggested by the higher number of teeth (16 or 17 maxillary, and 18 dentary teeth), and by the prominence of the osseous excrescences on the nasal bone.